Barbershop Homer.

[Text and photo by Mayank Austen Soofi]

Every evening, after dining with their respective families at home, a handful of men in a certain part of Old Delhi gather in Gali Choori Wallan, and settle down until far beyond the midnight at shop no. 530. It is a barbershop. These men don’t come here for a haircut. They sit here silently, partaking in the companionship of each other’s presence, as well as gazing at the hectic night life of the street outside. They also lend their ears to Asif, the barbershop’s barber, whenever the latter is bitten by the muse. For Asif is also a shaayar. The soft-spoken gent is a poet of the Homeric sort, in the sense that he rustles out verses orally, extempore, never caring to record them on paper. Known more commonly in the locality as Kaaliya, Asif prefers the nickname to his original name. Tonight, sitting with a cup of Gulzar stall’s chai (left figure in the photo), the poet remarks that “my two wives are gone, my four children are gone, I’m left with 10 children… two sons work in meat shop, one son works in a footwear shop, one son is idle, all my daughters save one are settled into their married life.” He now shifts focus to his life’s passion. “I compose clean poems, as well as dirty poems.” He is urged to recite some of his “clean” poems, four of which are loosely translated here from Purani Dilli lingo to presentable English.

1.
Mat sata Ghalib kisi garib ko
Ro dega
Uske malik ne suna to jad se khod dega
(O Ghalib, don’t oppress any poor
The poor will start to cry
If the poor’s lord hears the cry, you will be dug out of your roots.)

2.
Chandni chand se hoti hai
Sitaron se nahin
Mohabbat ek se hoti hai
hazaron se nahin
(Moonlight comes from the moon
Not from stars
You love a single person
Not a thousand people.)

3.
Peepal se giri shabnam
Uthata hain koi-koi
Shadiyan sabhi karte hain
Nibhata hai koi-koi
(The dew drops fall from the peepal tree
Only a few-few pick them up
Everybody marries
Only a few-few remain faithful.)

4.
Abhi aaye hain
Abhi bheje hain
Tumhari jaon-jaon mein
Hamara dum nikala hain
(You came just now
You are being returned just now
In your going-going
Our life is quitting us.)